University of Virginia Library

'...Evil' Good For A Few Kicks

By STEVE GRIMWOOD

Imagine the horror of being
totally blind. Now imagine the
most horrible position for a blind
person to be cast into against her
will. Now you have the premise for
"See No Evil."

Admittedly the idea is not new.
Most of you must remember "Wait
Until Dark," and though the
similarities between the two films
are not overly apparent it's difficult
to deal with the same basic subject
without using the same techniques.

As with "Wait Until Dark" there
was a big emphasis on sound,
magnifying every little noise so as
to put the audience on the same
auditory level as our heroine.
Naturally, a lot of little noises
means a big attempt at suspense,
and "See No Evil" does a fairly
good job of raising the adrenalin.
The editing is reasonably tight,
though most of the "shocker shots"
are basic to this genre of film, and
quite a few of them are not
unexpected.

Biggest Fault

The biggest fault of the film is
its attempt to somewhat rationalize
the motive behind the seemingly
senseless slayings. During the
credits the "mystery murderer"
walks down a city street gazing at
the passing scene of bloody
newspaper headlines, "Men at War"
comic books, and stopping to stare
at a murder being committed on
television. So much for the tacky
social commentary.

Another hackneyed idea is the
method by which you don't let the
audience glimpse the murderer's
face until the climax. Thus we have
endless shots of starred cowboy
boots stomping around on the
screen. Even when the killer's
identity is revealed, the only
surprise is that they bother to let
you know. The emphasis all along is
toward an essentially motiveless
crime in the classic sense of the
work, thus the identity of the killer
is relatively unimportant as to the
development of the plot.

Beleaguered

Mia Farrow does a more than
adequate job with the role of the
beleaguered blind girl, but with her
sweet little virginal face she has a
big head start toward winning
sympathy and tears from the
viewer. As for the rest of the cast,
they are either killed off early in
the film or are only required to
stomp around in a pair of boots.

All in all, the film is good for a
few kicks, though a Hitchcock it's
not. But Mia Farrow sobbing
hysterically is enough to jerk
anybody's heartstrings.

(Now at the Barracks Road)